1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and a system for managing a number of wireless devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and system for allocating an Identifier (ID) of a software component in an Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Device Management (DM) system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Because of rapid increases in the number of wireless terminals, there is a need for a standardized method for managing wireless devices. To address this need, Mobile Device Management (MDM) methods have been developed in order to manage firmware, software, parameters, a schedule, etc., of a relevant terminal while a wireless carrier or a service provider communicates with the terminal. Representative MDM methods as described above include an OMA DM method which has been developed by the OMA for making application standards of wireless devices. By reading, adding, changing, or executing an object of a mobile terminal by using a DM protocol, the OMA DM method can manage firmware, software, parameters, etc., within the mobile terminal.
In the OMA DM method, terminals to be managed are defined as Management Objects (MOs). A DM client and a DM server deliver the MOs by using the DM protocol, thereby implementing terminal management. The MOs are interfaces of a data model which the DM server and the DM client can access. OMA standards define MOs depending on each service intended to be provided by using the DM protocol.
A Software COmponent Management Object (SCOMO) among the MOs as described above is an MO defined in order to collect various pieces of information on software existing in the mobile terminal. Also, an SCOMO enabler is a solution for wirelessly managing the software. The SCOMO enabler within the OMA DM is a database-type interface for continuous management of a wireless device by the DM server, including downloading software components to the wireless device, updating the components, and deleting them from the wireless device.
FIG. 1 illustrates a tree structure of a conventional SCOMO.
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional SCOMO includes an inventory node and a download node, and the inventory node includes a deployed node and a delivered node.
Information on a software package to be downloaded from a DM server is included in the download node. The delivered node includes information on a software package which has been downloaded but is not installed yet. After a software package is downloaded, in order to receive and execute management instructions (i.e. update or delete) that are continually performed by the DM server henceforth, the software package is stored in a mobile device in an MO form on a component-to-component basis. Namely, the software package exists as components under the deployed node.
The inventory node is a node in which values regarding software components that are installed or downloaded on/to a mobile terminal are stored. The inventory node includes the deployed node and the delivered node as described above. In the deployed node, information on software components currently installed on the mobile terminal and used thereby is stored. The delivered node includes information on a software package which has been downloaded to the mobile terminal and stored therein, but is not yet installed thereon. Also, the download node includes information on a software package which is expected to be newly downloaded, or is being downloaded from the DM server to the mobile terminal.
At least one Deployed Component (DC) can be generated from one downloaded software package. Deployed/x/ID represents an Identifier (ID) of the DC, and a current OMA DM specification defines that the mobile device allocates an ID to each DC.
Therefore, only the DM client (i.e. the mobile device) is aware of the ID of each DC, while the DC server is unaware. Also, the OMA DM specification does not describe contents regarding how name and version values within a deployed MO are specified.
If ID, name, and version values of a software package are equal to ID, name, and version values of a DC, respectively, the values of the software package may be inherited as the values of the DC. However, if ID, name, and version values of a software package are not equal to ID, name, and version values of a DC, respectively (e.g. when multiple DCs exist within the software package and the DCs have different IDs, names, and version values), it is ambiguous as to how the ID, name, and version value of each DC can be determined.
If this happens, when the DM server performs subsequent DM (e.g. when the DM server updates DCs), the DM server does not know which DC it must manage, which causes problems.
As a result, when the DM server intends to manage software by using the SCOMO in the OMA DM method, technology for correctly identifying a software component is required.